Back from Florida

On March 9, 2016March 10, 2016 By jonathankeeton2 Comments

I recently visited Eckerd College in Florida where I went to school, and took the opportunity to spend some time on an unknown little spring fed river on the west coast. Here are some of the photographs from that magical place.

_DSC5545 — A blue heron fishing. The day was just beginning and birds were singing everywhere.

_DSC5588 — This was pretty far up a little creek, just as the sun was clearing the trees.

I stood up in the kayak on the way back so I could get a higher perspective, and let the current carry me back to the main river.

_DSC5564 — The water is a little warmer than the air still, so there’s a little mist on the surface that hasn’t burned off yet.

This is a little hidden spring off a long tributary further down the river.

End of day, looking west towards the gulf.

Aspens in Fall

On February 26, 2016 By jonathankeeton3 Comments

After catching up on my life again, including several doctor visits, I’m working in the studio again. I’m going to alternate between watercolors and acrylics, and I also have a few almost but not quite finished paintings looking with disapproval at me….

#30paintingsin30days

On January 3, 2016February 2, 2016 By jonathankeeton5 Comments

#30paintingsin30days

Just barely finished my last painting. Now I have a lot more I want to try – I am liking this size as a way to not have such a giant commitment, and also intend to make some more acrylics of all sizes! Once I catch up on my life, I’ll clean up the ones that need it and put them all on my website.

My friend Brad Reyes (Reyes Fine Art) signed up for this challenge and I took a while deciding whether I could hack it or no. My paintings usually take between 1 and 3 months, so this is going to be a stretch, for sure. I’m starting late, so one of these days I will have to paint two paintings in a day to catch up.

Day 30: Nocturne, Pittsfield Vermont Watercolor 10″ x 15″

_DSC5379 — Day 29: Nocturne, Pittsfield, Vermont (WIP) Watercolor 10″ x 15″ Turns out this is a two day painting after all; I’ll finish tomorrow

Day 28: Sunrise, Pt. Reyes Acrylic & Colored Pencil 11″ x 14″

dawn — Day 27: Dawn, Turquoise Trail Watercolor 8″ x 12″

vermont — Day 26: Early Fall, Vermont Watercolor 9 1/2″ x 13″ It’s a LOT harder to bullshit your way through a watercolor in one day!

Day 25: Rainstorm, Chassahowitzka River Acrylic 11″ x 14″

Nocturne, Jonesboro Alabama — Day 23 & 24: Nocturne, Jonesboro, Alabama Acrylic & Colored Pencil 11″ x 14″

canyon road — Day 21 & 22: Canyon Road Nocturne Acrylic & Colored Pencil 11″ x 14″ (It took me a while to get back into things)

Day 20: More real world work; looks like this will be happening for a while now…

Day 19: conference calls all day, so no painting!

Dawn, madrid — Day 18: Dawn, Madrid New Mexico Acrylic & Colored Pencil 11″ x 14″

Day 17: I was asked to contribute to a commercial project today, which took too much time to allow me to finish. Sorry!

Day 16: Laguna Mesa, Chama River Canyon Acrylic 11″ x 14″

sunset 0 — Day 15: Sunset, Northern New Mexico Acrylic 11″ x 14″

oak creek1 — Day 14: West Fork, Oak Creek Acrylic & Colored Pencil 11″ x 14″

Day 13: No painting yet, but I’m feeling a little better!

Day 12: Another day horizontal…

Day 11: Sorry, Still too sick to paint!

Day 10: Sorry, I’ve been too sick to work today!

early am chassahowitzka — Day 9: Early Morning, Chassahowitzka River Acrylic 11″ x 14″

Day 8: Chassahowitzka River Acrylic & Colored Pencil 11″ x 14

baird creek — Day 7: Sunrise, Baird Creek Acrylic & Colored Pencil 11″ x

early morning baird creek2 — Day 6: Early Morning, Baird Creek Acrylic 11″ x 14″ (This was not perhaps the smartest scene to try and paint in a day, especially with a bad cold.

_DSC5338 — Day 5: Night Falling, Bon Tempe Lake Acrylic 12″ x 16

_DSC5333 — Day 4: Dawn on Red River Acrylic 11″ 14″

_DSC5329 — Day 3: Morning on Chama River Acrylic 11″ x 14

_DSC5327 — Day 2: Rio Grande at Morning. This is an acrylic, and a little smaller, 11″ x 14″. As I catch up, I’ll do some more watercolors…

Day 1: Here’s the first one, a (rough) watercolor nocturne of the little town of Estancia, NM 11″ x 14″

Winter Solstice at Wild Rivers NRA

On December 26, 2015 By jonathankeetonLeave a comment

I drove up to there the Red River joins the Rio Grande at Wild Rivers National Recreation Area on the afternoon before the winter solstice. Because of some road construction, I got there as it was getting dark, and then spent a cold night before hiking down again early the next morning when I could see.

The weather report said that it would snow, so I was hoping to capture the snow falling – that didn’t happen. But it is a beautiful and austere hidden place. I’m still digesting the images, and thinking about when I might return.

_DSC5187 — Just before nightfall looking out over La Junta.

_DSC5255_6_7V1 — The Red River. The parking area is way on top of that ridge.

_DSC5245_6_7V1 Panorama — Looking south just after the Red River joins the Rio Grande.

_DSC5194 Panorama — The Red River on its way to the Rio Grande.

_DSC5203 — Red River Canyon above La Junta.

_DSC5301_2_3V1 — Sunrise on the Rio Grande above the junction with the Red River.

_DSC5310 — Looking down on the Rio Grande.

_DSC5319 — Climbing back out, looking towards God Hill and Wheeler Peak.

Work in Progress

On December 22, 2015 By jonathankeetonLeave a comment

These are four works in progress in the studio, all at different stages of completion but reasonably far along. What I’m doing now is moving somewhat randomly from one to the other.

Forest At Night

On December 13, 2015March 21, 2018 By jonathankeeton2 Comments

In September of 2015, I went to a reunion celebrating the 50th anniversary of a Quaker boys camp called Flying Cloud, where I had the good fortune to work in the 70s as a counselor. While there, I set up a camera in the forest that took a picture every 15 minutes. This is from the middle of the night when the moon illuminated a few leaves.

I worked on this for a few months, and then had to wait a long while in between sessions. The photograph from the middle of the night was too dark, so I was able to add (in Photoshop) enough of an image from the middle of the day when the sun was covered briefly in clouds to use to add ambient light. But the image wasn’t quite what I wanted, so the painting started from there – which was hard enough – and then I had to mess around until it felt right. I sent a photograph of it to Lovett’s Gallery in Tulsa, and they wanted it, so I decided it was done. Another drawing table freed up!

Highway 100, Pittsfield Vermont

On December 13, 2015April 4, 2016 By jonathankeetonLeave a comment

This is from a trip to Vermont in early fall. This is looking at Highway 100 as it goes through the little town of Pittsfield. I’m maybe 80% precent finished with this watercolor; it’s pretty challenging, but a beautiful image if I can get there!

Kind of exciting news!

On November 7, 2015November 7, 2015 By jonathankeetonLeave a comment

– for me anyway: I was accepted into the Santa Fe Society of Artists, and will be selling paintings and giclees downtown next year, from the end of April to the middle of October. If you’re coming to town be sure to stop by and give me grief!

Autumn Activities

On November 6, 2015 By jonathankeetonLeave a comment

This is the first year that I’ve been able to be at home for the fall color changes in the forest, so I’ve spent a lot of time wandering in the woods around here taking photographs, usually early in the morning or later in the afternoon.